Special guest post by Dr Fiona Watson

 

Tell us about your latest book 

Well, it’s a bit different, because this time it’s fiction. I wanted to try to imagine what it would have been like to live through a war I’ve been researching for over thirty years, to get beyond the bare facts. The obvious time and place to set Dark Hunter was 1317-18 in Berwick-upon-Tweed, the last English-held bit of Scotland after the disaster at Bannockburn. The Scots were circling outside the walls, which was bad enough, but then I threw in a murder inside the walls to raise the stakes even further. My ‘detective’ is a young squire who’s well-educated, but entirely out of his depth as a soldier. He’s not only the right guy to find the murderer, but to comment on the tediousness and fear of serving in a place like Berwick.

What is your preferred writing routine? 

Essentially get up, make porridge, take the dog for a walk and cosy up next to our woodburning stove in the kitchen. I’m able to write most of the day, which I know is a real luxury.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?  First of all, I’d say, ‘Keep writing’. It’s a muscle just like everything else and you get better the more you do it. Secondly, be honest: do you really have something to say, as opposed to having a nice idea for a setting or character? And lastly, keep being honest. Are there things you feel uneasy about? Chances are they’re not working, and you should bite the bullet and fix them.

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books? 

Mmm, I admit I’m not very good at ‘selling’ myself or my books. I don’t particularly use social media, though technically I could. I’m lucky that I have enough of a profile in Scotland to attract some interest in the papers. But, given that the story concerns an English garrison, I’d like the book to be read well beyond Scotland. So, thank you for putting me on your blog!

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research 

Well, first of all, I found out just how much I didn’t know about everyday medieval life! The thing that tickled me most was discovering that so many people in medieval towns had takeaways. Since most people weren’t wealthy enough to have a kitchen, it makes sense that they’d pop out for a pie.

What was the hardest scene you remember writing? 

I think that would be the one where Benedict, my detective-squire, confesses his love to Lucy, sister of the murdered girl. I imagine readers knew he was smitten long before, but he’s a bit slow in that department. Since Lucy is a clever, no-nonsense kind of girl, and Benedict is completely inexperienced when it comes to the opposite sex, I had to make sure it wasn’t twee or schmaltzy.

What are you planning to write next?

Well, I have been working on a sequel to Dark Hunter, though it will be a while till my publisher decides I’ve sold enough to warrant a second one. Meantime, I’ve written a modern thriller that started life in the depths of my own angst when I couldn’t get Dark Hunter published. A would-be writer is over the moon when a chance encounter lands her a book deal, as well as the chance to help the publisher’s charity in the fight against people traffickers in Africa. But she soon realises she’s involved in this dangerous world way over her head.